Children of the Night
by DidIComeAtABadTime
Summary: "It was obvious why they were down here, but despite the physical difference in appearance, they were just like me." While staying with her Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme, there's a door she's never been allowed to open. While wandering the house she comes across the cellar. Why won't Carlisle tell her what lies below? *(More Summary inside)* Rated M for graphic scenes & language.
1. Prologue

**Summary**  
_They were different. Unlike anything I had ever seen. And their eyes! Their eyes were engulfed in black; it didn't seem like they could even see, but they could. It was obvious why they were down here, but despite the physical difference in appearance, they were just like me. _

While staying with her Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme, they have their jobs to get to. Bella stays at the house, and like any regular person she ends up wandering the house. It's been years since she was there. There's a door that she was never allowed to go through…and for good reason.

**PROLOGUE**

"We're normal…just like everybody else." She hissed, her soulless eyes glaring in my direction. It was frightening, but I was used to them.

"I know," I answered, "But out there…nobody accepts what they're afraid of."

"I don't want people to be afraid of me—_of us_!"

They were locked in this under cellar; I wanted to help them escape, but he was right. They didn't belong in that world above. They wouldn't adapt.


	2. The Aunt and the Uncle

**CHAPTER 1 – The Aunt and the Uncle**

I'm sixteen now.

It's been eight years since I was last here, except I wasn't moving in with my Aunt Esme and my Uncle Carlisle then. I was only visiting for a week when I was little. But my parents recently passed away from a car accident; fresh wound.

They would give me all their sympathy, but the matter of the fact was they still had their parents, whereas I didn't. I sighed and stepped out of the car. My new home was in Forks, Washington; welcome to the state of clouds and rain. I wrinkled my nose at all of the green. Don't get me wrong, I love the smell of rain, I just hate the rain. And the scent of pine and evergreens was stronger than I ever remembered.

"Welcome to your new home, Bella," Auntie smiled; I could see the sadness in her eyes, but I appreciated in her trying to make me feel somewhat better. Just nine hours ago I had told my parents I would see them when I got home from school…now here I was, carrying my one large suitcase into my new room. It was nice…there would no doubt be a ton of light due to the large windows all around, but I would get to use to it. Back in Phoenix, the sun was out every day…not if only Forks' clouds would disperse and let some of that in. "I'm sorry it's not much," She apologized. I quickly shook my head at her.

"No, it's enough," I reassured her, "I'm not picky, so this is…this is fine." It was actually more than fine; their house was always big and I loved getting lost in it as a kid, though times have changed a lot. "Don't worry about me, Auntie…I'm alright." _Was I?_ I'd said it so much within the last week that it just came naturally now.

"You know I'm right downstairs if you need to talk. I'll listen," She said. I nodded and she lingered in the doorway for a moment before backing out of the room and heading downstairs. I let my tears fall for the second time this week. I wasn't alright, but I would find a way to cope for now.

._._._.

"Good morning, kiddo," Carlisle greeted, "I'm glad you're up. I don't have you registered for school yet, I'm sorry about that." I shook it off; I honestly would have skipped today if he had registered me. I wouldn't be able to handle the "new-student" attention. "I have to leave for work in a few so the house is all yours. Your aunt has already left. We should be home around six." He gave me a kiss on the head and a light squeeze on my shoulders, before he left.

What was I supposed to do now? I didn't exactly have anything interesting to do…I couldn't leave the house and just go do random things…

I decided upon taking a tour of the house; things have been moved around and some of the rooms have been redecorated. Esme liked to keep things new after a few years, I remember helping her when I was about seven. I use to love that. I picked up some of the picture frames on the mantle and smiled; they were of my birthdays from three to five. I was cute then, I'll admit but now I was just a Plain Jane; average in every aspect.

In the photo from when I turned five, my father had put the vanilla icing on my nose; I looked ridiculously happy from that small gesture. My face would have broken out if that happened now. I put the picture back down and moved on to the crystal chandelier above my head. Carlisle was the best doctor in Forks, and Esme was the best wedding designer. They both made massive amounts of money, so it was no surprise that they could afford whatever they wanted.  
But I gave Esme credit, she made cheap items look like a million bucks, and her house was always beautifully elegant and new.

I stopped in the foyer, glancing at the door under the stairs; I remember this too. I was—and still am—never allowed to enter it. But ever since I first came across it, I've always been curious as to what he kept locked inside. I hesitated briefly, before advancing towards it slowly.

Did I dare try and open it?

My hands shook as I placed my hand over the knob. I turned it, my heart instantly freezing as it turned smoothly. It sounded like glass had just hit the floor; the house was so silent. I took a large breath and opened the door slowly. _Carlisle must have forgotten to lock it_. My heart was pounding now and I opened my eyes as I squinted down into the darkness…it was empty from what I could see but it was also a room—I knew that now.

I looked for a light switch but my hand was instantly zapped by naked wires where the light switch should have been—and probably once was. "Crap…" I muttered, inspecting my fingers. They were fine, but the electricity now residing inside didn't feel too normal. I glanced back down into the cellar and almost let out a yelp of surprise as I caught movement.

I slammed the door shut and tried looking around for some keys—anything in that moment that could lock a door. There was definitely someone down there. I didn't imagine that! I know I didn't! I saw blonde hair, it moved like silk but whatever was down there probably wasn't friendly.

What exactly was it though? And why the hell were they lurking around that basement in the dark. I was intrigued and frightened at the same time. I wanted to know more about them. I now knew there definitely was something Carlisle didn't want me to see…but they were _in the house!_ They were actually _living_ here!

And I wasn't sure why, but I wanted to find out what the story was.


	3. The Cellar (Pt 1)

**Chapter 2 – The Cellar**

While I waited for Carlisle and Aunt Esme to return, I stayed up in my room with the door locked. I didn't feel any safer up here than I would have downstairs, but it alleviated some of my fear. I was in a lit room, my door was locked…I was safe. For now at least.

I wanted to ask Carlisle who that was, but he had told me for years not to go near that room; if I sprung that on him he'd know I had opened the door. But now I also wanted to know if auntie knew.

I mean, this was Aunt Esme's house…she had gotten remarried to Carlisle when I was five so I never knew my real uncle before him, but _Uncle Carlisle_ never really stuck with me; I just call him Carlisle. But back to my original thought, this was her house, maybe she did know? She never went in the room either, not that I could see.

I had seen Carlisle go into that cellar a total of three times, before I knew it was a cellar. I used to beg him to take me down there, but he always declined me. He claimed it was unsafe, but if that were actually true he wouldn't be coming back upstairs untouched. _Why won't he just tell me?_ Or better yet, _would he ever?_

I heard footsteps on the stairs, breaking me from my thoughts. I ran to the door and peeked out of the old lock, waiting to see a figure appear in the hallway. The footsteps grew louder and I realized then that there was more than one pair…_there were more people coming upstairs!_

My heart rate increased and my fingers grew sweaty on the handle. My breathing stopped as I spotted the same blonde hair through the small field of view I was given. It was long and wavy; _who was she?_ Her presence alone made my whole body go cold, but what I saw next topped it.

Her eyes.

They were completely black! She wasn't blind if she made it all the way upstairs and I began to wonder if she was even human. She seemed to be looking for something…maybe me? I watched curiously as a boy suddenly appeared behind her a few moments later; his hair the same shade of blond, except it was far more curlier and slightly out of control. They looked like siblings, twins.

"I saw a girl, Jasper," She said, turning to face him, "It wasn't Esme. She was younger…her hair was darker. Do you think she's the same girl from years before?" The boy, his name was Jasper, shrugged.

"You say she spotted you?" He asked. She nodded and he sighed, "Do you really think she's still here now, then?" His eyes were the same too. What was wrong with them?

"I don't know, Jazz. That's why we're looking now."

"I'm actually surprised he left the cellar unlocked…that's not like him at all. If she hadn't seen you, she might have gone down…imagine what would have happened then." Jasper mused.

"She would have seen us—_all of us_. And she would have been terrified," _Not like I wasn't now…_ "I just want to talk to her." They almost seemed harmless, if it weren't for the depthless eyes they had. And what did she mean by _all of us_? There were _more_? What exactly was Carlisle hiding from me?

"Come on, Rose, she's not up here and he won't be too happy if he finds _us_ up here."

"He left the door unlocked, remember?" Jasper merely nodded and I heard her sigh as their footsteps descend on the stairs.

._._._.

I had been so lost in thought that the week had passed quickly. I barely heard any noises from the cellar, but I was too afraid to even open the door now. However, when I was believed to have called it a night, I snuck downstairs to watch Carlisle come up from that room. He locked it, and even checked every time he passed by. It only extended my suspicions more and I desperately wanted to ask him why I couldn't know now but I didn't want to anger him.

I was sixteen for Christ's sakes! I know it wasn't any of my business, but I really wanted to know and I hated that he didn't trust me enough. I'd considered, numerous times I might add, that maybe he did trust me…he claimed it wasn't safe, but I was too impatient now. I knew what was down there – or better yet,_ who_ was down there. And though I couldn't tell him that, I was almost tempted to on several occasions.

They scared the hell out of me, yes, but seeing as Carlisle always came upstairs unharmed I didn't see why I should fear it as much as I was lead to believe. If he could just accidentally leave it unlocked—_once!_ Maybe I could muster up the courage to talk to them.

I wanted—no, _needed_ to talk to them. To know what they were. I couldn't stand this suspence any longer. Maybe I could get the keys from him…I needed to find a way down there. Picking the lock was a possibility…?

After thoroughly planning my options, my mind was made up. I was getting into that cellar, and I was doing it as soon as the house was empty from everyone but me.


	4. The Cellar (Pt 2)

**CHAPTER 3 – The Cellar **

"Carlisle said he's going to be a little late tonight," Esme said, grabbing her car keys, "As for me, I have to meet with a _lovely_ couple who are looking for an _expensive_ wedding." She exaggerated her words and I involuntarily smiled. Esme wasn't one to talk down about anyone, but it seemed like these people were nearly driving her to the brink of insanity. "So I am unsure of when I'll be back, but it should be a short while after him."

I nodded, "Okay, well you know me…I'm just going to stick around here."

"Pretty soon you'll be enrolled at Forks High, but with our busy schedules we may just have to hire you a tutor." A tutor? With things lurking in the basement. I wanted to scoff a remark, but that would have given me away and that was the last thing I wanted to have happen. Plus, the other last thing we needed was those people making noises to direct attention to the basement. If I didn't get to know then that tutor sure as hell wasn't getting a chance over me! But as Esme kissed my forehead and locked the front door behind her, I bolted upstairs and searched through the bathroom drawers for hair pins. Esme had to have had some…

My ever-growing smirk grew wider as I found a few of them at the very bottom; I bent the pin straight and made my way back downstairs to the door. I would find out!

It must have taken me a good twenty minutes to find the courage to even go near the door. I felt like Carlisle would appear out of nowhere and stop me. I paced back and forth, biting my lip for another ten minutes before I advanced towards the door, stopping in front of it.

I inhaled deeply, mentally tying up my nerves, duck taping their mouths, and throwing them into the very back of my mind. _I was _not_ going to chicken out this time_. As I braced myself, I pushed the pin into the lock, jiggling it around inside the gears for a moment; my breath hitched, like the first time, as the lock swiftly clicked free and the knob turned smoothly.

It came as a shock when I first saw her, but the blonde haired girl stood at the bottom, glancing up at me with her dark eyes. She looked as hesitant as me, like she was waiting for me to do something. But I just stood there, unsure of what to say or do. "You're not running this time?" She sounded kind of snarky and I just stood there paralyzed, "Can you talk?"

"Rosalie," I heard an unfamiliar voice from down further and I instantly knew there were more people than just her and the blond boy, Jasper. "Who's coming?"

"Not the doctor," Rosalie said, crossing her arms, "Are you just going to stand there or do I have to come up?" Did I want her to come up? I wanted to talk to her, but the shock that she was interacting with me was overwhelming. Why couldn't I get my voice to work?

Suddenly I felt like more eyes had been watching me; did Carlisle have cameras around here? I surely hoped not, but since they seemed to wander the house sometimes it wouldn't surprise me. "Hello?" She sang slowly, "Earth to white-eyes…"

"Uh…I…I'm not going to get killed am I?" I asked nervously. I heard a booming laughter, followed by her own.

"We're not cannibals…and trust us, we wouldn't murder you." She reassured me, taking a step up on the bottom two, "So…mystery girl, are you coming down or not?" It took me another moment to snap out of my paralysis, but I found the strength to move forward. I descended the stairs slowly and she moved out of the way, further into the darkness.

"It's um, dark…" I commented stupidly. I heard a few more chuckles and Rose spoke again.

"There's a light switch behind you…not that we use it, but since you're the white-eyed kind it's no surprise that you need it." I reached behind me, keeping my gaze forward as I turned the light on. A smaller girl with reddish, short hair stood only inches from my face. I jumped back, startled at the proximity and let out a mixed cry of fear and surprise.

"Who are you?" She asked, her fingers lightly tracing around my eyes. I let out a shaky breath, willing myself to try and relax. Fear was a fuel after all, wasn't it?

"Um, I'm Bella…" I mumbled, my wide-eyed gaze still fixated on her pixie-like features.

"Bella? That's a pretty name…you're pretty…you have the most perfect, brown eyes," She examined, pulling back slightly.

"Alice, you nearly gave her a heart attack," Jasper said, smirking slightly. His presence, despite the eyes, was astoundingly relaxing. "She's not used to us."

"Clearly," Rosalie commented, "So you're new, huh?"

"Y-yeah, I guess," I answered, looking around at the four. I guessed that the booming laughter had come from the larger looking boy, standing behind Rosalie. He looked intimidating, up until he laughed again. Yup, that was definitely his laughter I heard a few minutes ago.

"Well, Bella…you're not one of his new experiments are you?" He asked.

"Emmett!" The girl, Alice, scolded.

"What? She doesn't already know?"

"Know, what?" I spoke up, glancing between the four of them. Their eyes all snapped back to my face and I gulped visibly.

"Just ignore him," Jasper half-whispered, "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Hey now," Rosalie stepped in again, "She has a right to know; after all, he is her uncle." There was an uneasy glance between Alice and Jasper as Rosalie spoke. _Experiment? What did Carlisle have to do with these experiments? _Did I want to know? Yes, I supposed I did… "Emmett wanted to know if your 'most perfect, brown eyes' were a new pair for the doc to experiment on?"

"What?" What! Carlisle couldn't have done this to them! He was too nice. "Um, no…I'm just his step-niece…and I don't believe that. He's a doctor, he helps people, not hurt them." Now they all exchanged a skeptical glance and I felt out of the loop. There was no way that that was true. I heard a throat clear, but it wasn't from the people in front of me. I turned around to see a boy around the same age as me, maybe a little older.

My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him. He was stunning, like the rest of them, but his eyes were the same as well. I'd heard about black-eyed children…they were dangerous. But these kids…they were as human as I was. "You seem to be accepting all of this like nothing…except that you don't believe a man, no matter how great he may seem, could do something like this. To children nonetheless. We wouldn't even be able to adapt to a world outside…everybody would run and it's all because of _him!_ He ruined _everything_ for us." The pain in his features nearly crippled me. "We don't belong there anymore." They all shared the same longing looks and my heart felt like it was being stabbed. I felt so much sympathy for them but I knew I would never understand. I had only just met them in these short few minutes and I felt awful for them.

His voice was like velvet, aside from the appearance he was given with his eyes. I suddenly wondered what color he had been originally born with; again, if they _were _human. But I couldn't be thinking about him like this…it was wrong. "Are you even human?" I accidentally blurted, instantly regretting my words as looks of slight anger and annoyance flashed on all of their faces. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean that…you all just—you just don't seem normal…" Damn, what the hell was wrong with me? Rosalie opened her mouth then, her hands resting on her hips in a defensive stance.

"We're normal…just like everybody else." She hissed, her soulless eyes glaring in my direction. It was frightening, but I was used to them. Now anyways.

"I know," I answered, "But out there…nobody accepts what they're afraid of."

"I don't want people to be afraid of me—_of us!_"

They were locked in this under cellar; I wanted to help them escape, but he was right. They didn't belong in that world above. They wouldn't adapt.

"I wish there was something I could do…" I said softly, "…but Carlisle would surely be angry with me." I'd never seen him angry, and I didn't want to start. "And I wouldn't even know where to start if I tried."

"Believe me, we've tried. We've wandered this house so many times…through the nights that seemed endless. But he's got locks on every exit, different keys that fit in each one but never turn smoothly. He's smart, Bella…" hearing my name roll off his tongue sounded beautiful; now was not the time for a crush on anyone…

"Can you…I mean—are you bli—," I couldn't bring myself to even asked the question. Their eyes were a sensitive topic, I understood that clearly now.

"Blind? Visually impaired?" Rosalie offered, "They're not dirty words…but to answer your question, no, we're not blind. We can still see…more often than not when it's dark, but the light isn't that much of an issue either. Sunlight is the only exception…it's natural light…too bright for our eyes to withstand anymore." Alice sighed from the spot next to me.

"I miss the sunlight. The feel of the heat from it," She said in a dreamy state, "I would love to see it again, but it would be too much light."

"So, only natural light is harmful to your eyes?" I asked, needing a clarification. They all nodded and the boy behind me spoke again.

"It's exactly the same as your kind," He spoke of, _me_ maybe, a bit bitterly and I shivered at the ice coating his words, "But we can't look at it at all. You can glance at its light on the ground…our eyes would go into a state of agonizing pain."

"That's horrible," I whispered, biting my lip as he spoke.

"Like a thousand knives going into your eyes, repeatedly." His words were spoken in a low, haunting voice full of pain that was clear to understand, "Or, for the white-eyed…as though you were looking at it directly." He hated me, I could hear it in his voice. He brushed past me to a darker corner of the room, his arm had grazed against mine and when it had he lingered there for a moment. I felt a small jolt of electricity, but quickly dismissed the feeling as nerves.

He turned to face me one last time, "You should go back upstairs and pretend like you don't know us…you have the easier life." With that, he turned away and rested his palms flat against the cement foundation as if he were going to hit his head against the hard surface. But he remained still, like he was made of stone.

I knew I couldn't argue; I could roam around, enjoy the light…_see_ things easier. They could barely do any of those things.

"We're sorry about Edward…he's been here the longest," Emmett explained quietly. _Edward. _Not a common name anymore, but it fit him perfectly, "It's like a prison down here; we've learned to accept it a little, but Edward had a lot ahead of him. And I mean _a lot_. But the doc took that away from him when he performed the operation." I felt sick as I thought about Carlisle harming a beautiful, young boy like Edward. I also felt sorry that I had the chances he could never have again.

"What exactly was this operation assigned to do?"

"It was designed to make the human eye sharper, like an animal's for instance," Jasper explained, "Edward blames himself a lot for allowing himself to be the first one ever to go under. It was successful, our eye sights are much more advanced than the average human's, however, the black dye used in the chemical that's needed affects the genetic chemicals inside the eye. It's an illegal dye, hardly anybody knows about it, ourselves included. We only know what it was designed to do…and how badly it affects us."

"But how did all of you end up like this?" I asked.

"He changed the chemicals a lot, explained them in different ways…it's not really easy to explain. The only good thing that came out of this was that we realized we were not alone. We have our own family, so to speak." Only then did I realize that the four seemed very close. Couple and couple, except for Edward.

"Wait, are you saying he tricked you?"

"In our eyes, it looks that way." Jasper nodded, "And I hate to sound rude, but you seem to have a more biased opinion on this matter." I narrowed my eyes slightly but didn't argue.

"Of course she has a biased opinion…to her, we're not human." Edward said in a dangerously low tone. It sent another shiver through me.

"Calm down, Edward," Alice said lightly.

"No, it's fine…" I said offended, turning to the stairs, "I'll just go and pretend like you don't exist like you asked."

"Bella, wait—!" Alice called, just before I shut the door and locked it behind me. I didn't want to leave the others behind, but it seemed like Edward didn't want me down there at all. I knew where he was coming from with his situation, and that it was wrong of me to ask things the way I did, but he hated me when I had no control over the situation. Was I really that horrible in his eyes?


End file.
